Hu Shi's Autobiography (Second Edition)

Author: Hu Shi (dictated), Tang Degang (annotated and translated)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-05-01
Features: This book is an English oral autobiography written by Hu Shi for the "Oral History Department of China" at Columbia University in the United States. It was recorded and compiled by Tang Degang, later translated and annotated by Tang Degang, and published by Biographical Literature Publishing House in Taiwan in 1986. In 1993, East China Normal University Press published the simplified Chinese version. During the compilation process, some of Hu Shi's works and research findings were incorporated. The annotator and translator, Tang Degang, is considered a high disciple of Hu Shi. Most people's understanding of oral history begins with Tang Degang's Oral Autobiography of Hu Shi. This is a comprehensive translation based on the English drafts of Hu Shi's sixteen formal recorded oral recollections from Columbia University's "Oral History Department of China," as well as incomplete drafts preserved by Tang Degang and personally approved by Hu Shi. It was a monumental "oral history project" completed by Tang Degang while personally interacting with Hu Shi at Columbia University, recording with a tape recorder. The focus of Hu Shi's book is to summarize and evaluate his academic life, and this evaluation reflects his late-life thoughts, which are almost identical to his mid-adolescent thoughts. Therefore, as Tang Degang said, readers who have read Hu Shi's Forty Self-Portraits will find little new content in this oral autobiography. However, the annotations and comments by Tang Degang after translating the English oral autobiography into Chinese are excellent works that cannot be missed. The "biography" and "annotations" in this book have become an inseparable whole. In terms of academic and historical value, the weight of the annotations may far surpass that of the main text. In the 1970s, overseas historians highly praised the saying, "First read Tang Degang, then read Hu Shi." The erudition, insights, and rare talent displayed by Tang Degang in these annotations truly evoke the admiration of readers who feel they can see the person through his words. In terms of writing style, this book is undeniably a unique and self-contained "academic autobiography." It is also a straightforward and honest small book that covers all aspects of Hu Shi's knowledge, thoughts, life, and family background. It is a simple and accessible "Hu Shi introduction" written by Hu Shi himself, suitable for young readers. Experts in modern Chinese literature and history might find that browsing this small book can help them organize their concepts of "Hu Shi" more systematically. Because it is a concise and self-narrated "Hu Shi case study." For general readers who seek leisure, flipping through it after work or meals can give them a rough understanding of the origins of Hu Shi's "reactionary statements" and "toxic thoughts." As for whether it is a "poisonous weed" or a "fragrant flower," Hu Shi himself did not "praise himself excessively"; he simply "admitted the facts." Wise readers—whether critical of Hu, supportive of him, or both—will naturally make their own correct judgments.